Penn State football’s depth has been tested throughout the first two games of the season.

Injuries to safety K.J. Winston and tight end Andrew Rappleyea, along with a number of other early-season injuries, have given younger players up and down the Nittany Lions’ roster a chance to earn meaningful game reps, especially Dejuan Lane and Luke Reynolds.

Before the season began, Lane, a safety, was green-lighted by James Franklin to burn his redshirt status and play in more than four games this season.

Currently, Jaylen Reed and Winston occupy the top two spots on the depth chart, and Zakee Wheatley acts as the primary reserve. While Franklin said he may have an update on whether or not Winston’s injury is long-term later in the week, Lane’s role in the safety room is growing.

“We’ll see timing-wise how this whole thing plays out but definitely in the short term, we’re going to have to develop some more guys,” Franklin said. “[Lane] is going to be really important this week and moving forward. He’s probably the guy our focus is on the most right now.”

When Franklin first shared his list of green-lighted players in late August, he noted the list could change throughout the season based on injuries or performances during practices and games.

With Rappleyea unavailable for the Nittany Lions’ home opener, Reynolds saw action in his place. Franklin announced during the bye week that Rappleyea’s injury was long-term and on Monday announced Reynolds would also burn his redshirt this season.

“Luke is transitioning to a green light at this stage,” Franklin said. “Again, these greens, reds, and yellows can change as things go.”

While players can move up from red to yellow to green, Franklin said the opposite is true, too. As of Monday’s press conference, only offensive lineman Cooper Cousins, Lane, and Reynolds were announced green lights. Reynolds and Cousins got snaps in both games so far this season, while Lane appeared in the game against West Virginia but didn’t play against Bowling Green.

Being green-lighted to play and actually playing are two different things, though. Franklin said that playing as a true freshman isn’t just a physical commitment, but an emotional and mental commitment.

While only two positions are in need of true freshmen to fill out the gameday roster, Franklin said there are more who could step up if needed.

“We’ve got a ton of guys that I think could play as a true freshman,” Franklin said. “For the guys that have played, they’re willing to make the sacrifices to actually do it.”

According to Franklin, Reynolds has been on a consistent rise since arriving on campus in January. Reynolds has impressed his coaches with his ability to block and make plays in both the run game and the passing game — something Franklin said is rare in players coming out of high school.

“Luke’s doing really well,” Franklin said. “He’s the kind of guy that through his hard work and development, he’s ready to play more often.”